15 Ways Python Is a Powerful Force on the Web

The Python programming language has gained popularity as one of the components of the LAMP (Linux, Apache, MySQL and Python/Perl/PHP) stack. Python has seen a resurgence in programmer interest, and dynamic languages such as Ruby and Python have emerged as alternatives to languages like Java and C#. And the popularity of software such as the Google App Engine, the Django Web framework and the Zope application server has made the language more attractive to developers.

This following list looks at some of the things that make Python a standard for Web application development.

Python is available for all major operating systems: Windows, Linux/Unix, OS/2, Mac, Amiga, among others. There are versions that run on Microsoft and Java platforms, and Nokia Series 60 cell phones. The same source code will run unchanged across all implementations.

Python Has Deep Roots

Python was conceived in the late 1980s, and its implementation was started in December 1989 by Guido van Rossum at CWI (Centrum Wiskunde & Informatica—the Center for Mathematics and Computer Science) in the Netherlands as a successor to the ABC programming language (itself inspired by SETL, the SET Language) capable of exception handling and interfacing with the Amoeba operating system. Van Rossum is Python’s principal author, and his continuing central role in deciding the direction of Python is reflected in the title given to him by the Python community: Benevolent Dictator for Life (BDFL).